Oriental & Speciality

A relatively new vegetable in the English-speaking world but well-known in Asian cuisine, the flavour of garlic chives is more like garlic than chives, though much milder. Both leaves and the stalks of the flowers are used a stir fry ingredient. The flowers may also be used as a spice.

Komatsuna ‘F1 Comred’ has rich ruby red leaves and contrasting green stems. Ideal as baby greens, the flat, round leaves are tinted red above and green with red veins below, they maintain their colour under crop covers or glasshouse. The plants are uniform with excellent upright growth for easy harvest.

Komatsuna, F1 Samurai is a robust and reliable Komatsuna, it is longstanding and with good yield potential. With a dark green round/oval leaf and a nice upright habit they are easy to harvest. It can be sown virtually every month of the year, for glasshouse or tunnel crops or open field.

Lemon grass is widely used as a herb in Asian and Caribbean cooking. It has a citrus flavour and can be dried and powdered, or used fresh. It is commonly used in teas, soups, and curries and is also suitable for poultry, fish, and seafood.

Luffa acutangula is a very versatile plant. As a vegetable, the leaves can be eaten in a salad, the very young gourds, known as Chinese Okra they taste like aubergine. The matured dried gourd develops into a fibrous netting. It is an excellent sponge and makes a wonderful exfoliator.

Malabar Spinach, is a vining type of plant that thrives in hot temperatures, it is a discovery that is a boon for those of us that love our greens but find the warm days of summer a bit too hot for good growth. It can be grown throughout the summer and can even cope when the heat exceeds 32°C (90°F).

Commonly called Malabar Spinach, Basella rubra is valued for the brilliant fuchsia-purplish colour of its leaf stems and veins as well as its mild flavour. The leaves are delicious mixed in with other greens in tossed salads. Juicy and crisp, the flavours of citrus and pepper accompany the succulent leaves.

Mibuna is a delicate and unusual plant that has been grown for centuries in Japan. It is best enjoyed in baby leaf salads where its addictive flavour can shine, or in stir-fries for a milder taste. Perfect for “cut and come” scissor harvest.

Minutina, also known as Erba Stella is a unique, cold weather salad green prized in Italy for its mild nutty flavour and crunchy texture. This perennial can be grown all winter in temperate climates. With a mild nutty flavour and crunchy texture it is a great addition to salad mixes or for stir-frying.

Mitsuba is a classic seasoning that is very popular in Asian cuisine. Used as both an herb and a salad green and added fresh or cooked to anything from soup to sushi. Mitsuba's look and aroma are distinctive, for the herb aficionado or aesthetically motivated cook, it is a great addition to the gourmet garden.

The marvellous Mizuna is an oriental wonder! It grows as a large rosette of finely serrated, feathery leaves, which are dark, glossy green, similar to rocket leaves. A very hardy plant, being both heat and cold tolerant, it usually grows better in moist conditions.

Mustard 'Green Frills' has attractive and sweet leaves that are fringed and finely serrated with the tangy flavour of gourmet mustard. Use it with other salad leaves to create your own bistro salad to suit your tastes. They are fantastic when lightly steamed, stir-fried or sautéed.

Leaf mustard comes in an array of shapes and sizes, but if you want colour, choose the beautiful Mustard ‘Red Frills’. True to its name, the attractive and sweet leaves are finely serrated. The fringed burgundy-red leaves add the taste of mustard and horseradish to salads, stir fries and sandwiches.

Boasting magnificent, savoyed, purple-red leaves edged and veined pale green. Mustard ‘Red Giant’ is a vigorous growing broad leaf variety. Commonly found in mesclun mixes, the leaves are slightly textured and the mild mustard flavour is fresh and zesty.

We have all heard of Nigella Lawson, the British cooking show goddess who advocates the importance of a well-stocked pantry. But the seeds had the name first. Nigella sativa have a spicy, nutty flavour with a crunchy texture, they may be used whole or ground, and develop their flavour best after short toasting.